After the 1925 earthquake devastated Santa Barbara and a portion of State Street, the survivors were left with the decision of how to rebuild and how to do it more safely.
One of the most well-known effects of the disaster was the decision to rebuild much of downtown with the city’s signature design style — Spanish Colonial Revival. The move helped create Santa Barbara’s image as the tourist destination it is today.
The city began requiring — and still requires — builders in certain parts of the city to adopt the Spanish style…